We have seen many great fast bowlers in cricket with some of the most beautiful and smooth bowling actions. Bowlers like Dale Steyn, Brett Lee, and Shoaib Akhtar have been the most lethal fast bowlers of all time who could injure any batsman. But as cricket progressed, ICC changed its rules, and many bowlers got problems, and their bowling action got banned, which impacted their careers. So, here’s a list of the top ten bowlers whose bowling action got banned.
1. Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal is a former right-arm off-spinner of Pakistan. In his prime, no batter wanted to face him, as Saeed Ajmal used to be the nightmare of batters. He was an expert in bowling deliveries like Doosra, Googly, and off-spin. Many players used to say that Saeed Ajmal would become a high-wicket taker in cricket history. Still, in 2014, his bowling action was reported, and ICC investigated his activity and banned him. In 2016, Saeed Ajmal came with new bowling action but could not perform well for his team.
2. Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh is a former right-arm off-spinner of India who has won many matches for team India. He used to be the backbone of India, as he could bowl Doosra very well. In his career, Harbhajan Singh has taken 417 wickets in tests and 269 wickets in ODI. In his early days, his bowling action became controversial and was reported. Then, Harbhajan Singh came with new bowling action without Doosra delivery, as his hand used to bend more than 15-degree angle.
3. Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine was one of the most dangerous bowlers for any batsman, as no batter could play him. In T20 cricket, he was the one who used to stop runs for his team. In his career, Sunil Narine has taken 363 wickets in ODI and 155 wickets in T20I. He was one of the best death bowlers in T20 cricket, even as a spinner. But ICC imposed a 15-degree rule on him, and Sunil Narine had to change his bowling action. When he came up with a new bowling action, Sunil Narine lost his charm in bowling.
4. Muttiah Muralitharan
In the game of cricket, Muttiah Muralitharan was a magician who used to trouble and scare all batters in the world. He was the complete spinner who could bowl any delivery to batters. But, Muttiah Muralitharan has always faced problems for his bowling action. Even umpires gave no-ball to his deliveries as his bowling action was tough to predict. After that, ICC imposed a 15-degree rule on Muralitharan and banned his bowling action. After this, Muttiah Muralitharan had to change his bowling action for a lifetime.
5. Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Hafeez is a former right-handed batsman and bowler from Pakistan. He is also known as a professor of cricket. Mohammad Hafeez started his career in 2003 and played 19 years for Pakistan. Even though many people think he was only a batsman, Mohammad Hafeez was an off-spinner who used to be a nightmare for left-handed batters. But, when ICC changed its rules, Mohammad Hafeez’s bowling action became illegal. After this, he changed his bowling action but could not gain his bowling form.
6. Marlon Samuels
Martin Samuels is a former right-handed batsman of the West Indies, and he used to be one of the leading players in the West Indies squad. No one can forget his contribution in the T20 finals of 2012 and 2016; Marlon Samuels is one of the best clutch players in cricket. But he also used to spin the bowl; in fact, Marlon Samuels was one of the fastest spinners in cricket. But unfortunately, his bowling action also got bent as he bent his hand more than 15 degrees.
7. Sohag Gazi
Sohag Gazi is a former right-arm spinner from Bangladesh. Even though he did not get many matches for Bangladesh, he played 10 test matches, 20 ODI, and 10 T20I. In a game against West Indies, Sohag Gazi bowled Doosra, and ICC banned his bowling action. He also gave many tests for his activity, but the Bangladesh team dropped him from the group. In his career, Sohag Gazi has taken 38 test wickets, 22 in ODI, and 4 in T20I.
8. Johan Botha
Johan Botha is a former right-handed batsman and off-spinner from South Africa, and his bowling action has often been reported. In 2006, against Australia, Johan Botha’s bowling action got banned for the first time. But again, in 2009, his bowling action was reported, and Johan Botha lost his delivery, Doosra. In his career, Johan Botha has taken 72 wickets in ODI and 37 in T20I.
9. Muhammad Husnain
Muhammad Husnain is an emerging young fast-bowler from Pakistan. Pakistan has always been famous for its legacy of producing great fast bowlers like Wasim, Waqar, etc, and Muhammad Husnain is one of them, as he bowls around 150 Kmph. But in a BBL match, his bowling action got reported as Muhammad Husnain’s bowling action was illegal. After this, he worked hard and made his actions legal.
10. Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson is one of the best captains and batsmen that New Zealand has ever produced. His captaincy tactics and batting technique are very compact. But Kane Williamson used to be an all-rounder who also used to bowl spin. In 2014, in a test match against Sri Lanka, his bowling action was banned. After this, Kane Williamson improved his bowling action but rarely bowls. So far, Kane Williamson has 73 wickets in international cricket.
